Selective coupling apparatus



April 28, 1970 G. D. AULISAr Y 3,508,582

SELECTIVE COUPLING APPARATUS Filed March 11, 1968 .raw/P65 4 Zg/ INVENTORI V I GERARD D. AuLxsA Mig ATTY.

United States Patent O 3,508,582 SELECTIVE COUPLING APPARATUS Gerard D. Aulisa, Claymont, Del., assignor to Sun Oil Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 712,274 Int. Cl. F16k 11/00 U.S. Cl. 137-625.11 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotor mounted inside a casing successively couples individual ones of a plurality of inlet openings to a single outlet opening. In each position of the rotor, all of they inlet openings, except the one then coupled to the outlet opening, are coupled to individual bypass openings provided in the casing.

This invention relates to a selective coupling apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus of this character for separately and successively coupling individual ones of a plurality of inlets to a single outlet. A typical use of the apparatus of this invention is in conjunction with a gas analyzer, wherein it is desired to connect the inlet of the analyzer separately and successively to individual ones of a plurality of conduits each carrying a sample which is to be analyzed. For this use, the analyzer inlet would be connected to the outlet of the coupling apparatus of this invention, while each of the sample conduits would be connected to a respective inlet of the coupling apparatus.

It is desirable, particularly when the samples carried by the conduits are in the form of drag streams taken from fluid flow lines, that there be essentially no interruption in the iiows of these drag streams. Also, it is highly desirable to avoid any intermixing of the several drag streams. These desiderata are achieved in the coupling apparatus of the present invention by providing a bypassing arrangement which is adapted to individually return the flow moving to each of the selective coupling apparatus inlets, except to the inlet which is at the time coupled to the coupling apparatus outlet (i.e., to the analyzer inlet) back to the source of such ilow (i.e., back to the respective sample-carrying conduit).

A detailed description of the invention follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a face View of the selective coupling apparatus of this invention, as used for selective coupling of sample sources to a gas analyzer;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, a cup-shaped shell 1, of cylindrical outer conguration, together with a disclike cover plate 2 which closes the open end of the cup, provide a casing within which is mounted a rotor 3. The cover plate 2 is held in assembled position on the shell 1 by means of six bolts 4 which are equiangularly-spaced around the circumference of a bolt circle centered at the center of plate 2; these bolts pass through clearance holes in plate 2 and thread into tapped longitudinally-extending holes provided in the upstanding outer annular wall of shell 1 (see FIG. 3). The O.D. of plate 2 is equal to the O D. of shell 1.

The rotor 3 is somewhat disc-like in shape with an O.D. slightly less than the I.D. of shell 1 and with a depth or thickness dimension slightly less than the inside depth of this shell; rotor 3 is mounted for free rotation within the casing provided by items 1 and 2. Rotor 3 has two interice gral cylindrical extensions 5 and 6 which project outwardly axially from the disc portion of the rotor, at the two respective opposite faces thereof. Cylindrical extension 5 is a solid operating shaft which passes rotatably through the aperture provided in a central boss 7 formed on the outer surface of cover plate 2; thus, at one side, rotor 3 is journaled in cover plate 2. Shaft 5 extends outwardly beyond cover plate 2 for a distance suiiicient to enable this shaft to be operated (rotated) in order to rotate rotor 3 within casing 1, 2 about an axis which is the longitudinal axis of shaft 5.

The diameter of cylindrical extension 6 is somewhat greater than that of shaft 5. Extension 6 passes rotatably through the aperture provided in a central boss 8 formed on the outer surface of shell 1; thus, at its other side, rotor 3 is journaled in shell 1. Extensions 5 and 6 are preferably aligned longitudinally with each other. The extension 6 projects outwardly beyond shell 1 and has therein an axial hole 9 which opens to the outside of the casing 1, 2 and provides an outlet opening for the coupling apparatus. This outlet opening in extension 6 (which extension thus furnishes a conduit) may be coupled through a rotatable coupling or slip joint (not shown) to the inlet of a suitable utilization device such as a gas analyzer (not shown). From its outer end (outside of the casing 1, 2), the axial hole 9 extends inwardly to the center of the disc portion of rotor 3, where it communicates with the inner end of a radial bore 10 whose outer end opens into the periphery of the rotor. Thus, the bore 10 in rotor 3 is in constant communication with the outlet opening 9.

A plurality of spaced inlet openings 11, equal in number to the number of sample sources which are to be selectively (and successively) coupled to the outlet opening 9 (and thus to the inlet of the gas analyzer), are provided in the shell portion 1 of the casing 1, 2. The openings 11 extend radially through the upstanding outer annular wall of shell 1, and are spaced equiangularly around this wall, with the center line of each opening 11 preferably bisecting the angle included between adjacent ones of the bolts 4. The center lines of all of the openings 11 lie in a common plane, in which plane the center line of bore 10 also lies; therefore, as rotor 3 rotates (about the longitudinal axis of shaft 5, which axis is perpendicular to said common plane), bore 10 comes into radial alignment with (and thus into communication with) successive ones of the inlet openings 11. That is to say, bore 10 successively communicates with the inlet openings 11 as the rotor 3 rotates. Thus, as rotor 3 rotates, the inlet openings 11 are successively coupled to the outlet opening 9, by means of the Ibore 10.

By way of example, six inlet openings 11 are illustrated in FIG. 1. Each inlet opening 11 has mounted therein a threaded connector (see FIG. 2), by means of which the ends of respective pipes or tubes may be secured in the inlet openings 11. Each of the said pipes or tubes conveys a gaseous sample from a respective sample source to a corresponding inlet opening 11. Thus, one end of pipe 12a is secured in the inlet opening 11 at the twelve oclock position (FIG. 1), and the opposite end of this pi-pe is connected to sample source #1, so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. One end of pipe 12b is secured in the inlet opening 11 at the two oclock position, and the opposite end of this pipe is connected to sample source #2, so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. One end of pipe 12e is secured in the inlet opening 11 at the four oclock position, and the opposite end of this pipe is connected to sarnple source #3, so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. One end of pipe 12d is secured in the inlet opening 11 at the six oclock position, and the opposite end of this pipe is connected to sample source #4,

so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. One end of pipe 12e is secured in the inlet opening 11 at the eight oclock position, and the opposite end of this pipe is connected to sample source #5, so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. One end of pipe 12f is Secured in the inlet opening 11 at the ten oclock position, and the opposite end of this pipe is connected to sample source #6, so as to convey sample therefrom to the corresponding inlet opening. Thus, it may be seen that in the illustrated position of the rotor 3, sample source #1 is coupled to the outlet opening 9 (and thus to the inlet of the gas analyzer); as rotor 3 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 1 to successive rotational positions spaced at intervals of 60, sample sources '#2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 are successively coupled to the outlet opening 9 (and thus to the inlet of the gas analyzer).

According to this invention, in each rotational position of the rotor 3, bypass relief for each of the inlet openings 11 not being sampled in that position (i.e., for each inlet opening which is not then coupled to outlet opening 9) is provided, the bypass relief preferably returning the flow of each inlet opening not then being sampled individually back to its source. The bypassing arrangement will now be described.

Rotor 3 has in its `periphery a plurality of longitudinally-extending slots 13a through 13e which are U-shaped in cross-section, the number of these slots being one less than the number of inlet openings 11. Since six inlet openings 11 are illustrated, there would be ve slots 13a-13e. The rst slot 13a is located 60 around the circumference of rotor 3 from the center line of bore 10 in one direction (clockwise in FIG. 1), and the fifth or last slot 13e is located 60 around from the center line of bore 10 in the other or counterclockwise direction. The slots 13a-13e themselves are located at 60 intervals around the circumference of rotor 3. Therefore, in each rotational position of rotor 3, bore 10 will be radially aligned with a particular one of the inlet openings 11, while each of the ve slots 13a13e will be aligned with a respective one of the remaining five inlet openings. Thus, in the rotor position illustrated in FIG. 1,.bore 10 is radially aligned with the twelve oclock inlet opening 11 (pipe 12a, sample source #1), slot 13a is aligned with the two oclock opening 11 (pipe 12b, source #2), slot 13b is aligned with the four oclock opening 11 (pipe 12e, source #3), slot 13e is aligned with the six oclock opening 11 (pipe 12d, source #4), slot 13d is aligned with the eight oclock opening 11 (pipe 12e, source #5), and slot 13e is aligned with the ten oclock opening 11 (pipe 121, source #6).

Each of the slots 13a-13e extends from that face of rotor 3 which is adjacent cover plate 2 toward the opposite face thereof, for a distance suicient for its inner end to come into substantially unrestricted communication with the respective inlet openings 11 (see FIG. 2); these slots terminate short of that face of rotor 3 which is adjacent the disc end of shell 1. Thus, the inner end of each of the rotor slots 13a-13e (which forrn passages in the rotor, when the latter is within casing 1, 2) is adapted to communicate with a separate one of the inlet openings 11.

A plurality of spaced bypass openings 14a-14j, one for each respective one of the six inlet openings 11, are provided in cover plate 2. These bypass openings are cylindrical and are spaced equiangularly around the circumference of a base circle centered at the center of plate 2 (axis of shaft 5) and having a diameter such that said circle passes through the centers of curvature of the curved ends of slots 13a13e. Each of the openings 14a-14f is aligned radially with a respective one of the inlet openings 11 and pipes 12a-12J (see FIG. l). The outer end of each of the rotor slot-passages 13a-13e is adapted to communicate with a separate one of the bypass openings 14a-14-f.

The inner ends of individual conduits or pipes 15a-15j are sealed to the outer surface of cover plate 2, one at each of the respective bypass openings 14a-141c so as to communicate respectively with the outer ends of these bypass openings. These pipes extend to respective ones of the sample sources. Thus, one end of pipe 15a is sealed to the bypass opening 14a and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #1, downstream from the point at which pipe 12a is connected to this source; one end of pipe 15b is sealed to the bypass opening 14b and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #2, downstream from the point at which pipe 12b is connected to this source; one end of pipe 15e is sealed to the bypass opening 14e` and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #3, downstream from the point at which pipe 12e is connected to this source; one end of pipe 15d is sealed to the bypass opening 14d and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #4, downstream from the point at which pipe 12d is connected t0 this source; one end of pipe 15e is sealed to the bypass opening 14e and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #5, downstream from the point at which pipe 12e is connected to this source; one end of pipe 1-5f is sealed to the bypass opening 14f and the opposite end of this pipe is coupled back into sample source #6, downstream from the point at which pipe 12f is connected to this source.

In each rotational position of the rotor 3, one of the six inlet openings 11 (and thus, one of the sample sources) is coupled to the outlet opening 9 (and thus to the gas analyzer inlet), and each of the remaining ve inlet open ings (and thus, each of the five remaining sample sources) is coupled to a respective one of the rbypass openings 14a- 141c (and thus, back to the respective sample source). Thus, in the illustrated position of rotor 3, the flow in sample source #1 is fed to outlet opening 9, by way of pipe 12a and rotor bore 10; the flow in sample source #2 is bypassed back to this same source by way of pipe 12b, rotor slot-passage 13a, bypass opening 14b, and pipe 15b; the flow in sample source #3 is bypassed back to this same source, by way of pipe 12e, rotor slotpassage 13b, bypass opening 14e, and pipe 15C; the flow in sample cource #4 is bypassed back to this same source, by-way of pipe 12d, rotor slot-passage 13C, bypass opening 14d, and pipe 15d; the flow in sample source #5 is bypassed back to this same source, by way of pipe 12e, r0- tor slot-passage 13d, bypass opening 14e, and pipe 15e; the ow in sample source #6 is bypassed back to this same source, by way of pipe 12f, rotor slot-passage 13e, bypass opening 14], and pipe 151.

Assuming the rotor 3 rotates 60 clockwise (viewed as in FIG. 1) from the rotational position illustrated to its next rotational position, in such next position sample source #2 would be coupled to the gas analyzer inlet by way of rotor bore 10 and the coupling apparatus outlet opening 9, and sample sources #1, #3, #4, #5, and #6 would be individually bypassed back to the same respective sources, by way of the respective slot-passages 13e, 13a, 13b, 13e, and 13d, and bypass openings 14a, 14C, 14d, 14e, and 141.

The invention claimed is:

1. Coupling apparatus comprising in combination, a casing, said casing having a first set of spaced inlet openings therein and also having therein a second set of spaced and separate bypass openings, one for each respective one of said inlet openings; a rotor in said casing, said rotor having a portion thereof extending outside of said casing and having in said portion an outlet opening, there being a bore in said rotor in constant communication with said outlet opening and adapted in the rotation of the rotor to successively communicate with said inlet openings; said rotor also having therein a set of passages isolated from each other and numbering one less than the number of inlet openings, each such passage being adapted to communicate at one end with solely a separate one of said inlet openings and at its other end with solely the corresponding one of said bypass openings, the arrangement being such that in each rotational position of said rotor one of said inlet openings communicates by way of said bore with said outlet opening and each of the remaining inlet openings communicates by way of a respective one of said passages with solely its corresponding bypass opening.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said casing is of cylindrical outer configuration, wherein said inlet openings extend radially 0f said casing and are equi- 6 angularly-spaced, and wherein said bypass openings extend in the longitudinal direction and are distributed equiangularly around a circle centered on the casing longitudinal axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,998 2/1958 Mayhew 137-625.11

2,835,273 5/1958 McDonald IS7-625.11

2,840,109 6/1958 Wadleigh 137-625.11

2,996,083 8/1961 Huska 137-625.11

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner 

